167 Flee

Thales finally knew how it felt like to fall from a high altitude.

It felt like nothing he ever felt before.

This helpless feeling of weightlessness emptied his mind in the blink of an eye and robbed his body off its autonomous control.

He only felt panicked and vacant.

Cold wind blew against his face.

*Whistle…*

Black Sword held Thales in his bosom with one arm. Unable to say anything, Thales' lips trembled.

Amid the strong wind, even breathing was a chore.

Thales' mind was blank.

At that moment, that strange fluctuation surged through his entire body again, and it was as if time had slowed down.

However this time, the fluctuation did not bring him any miracle.

Violent air current grazed past their sleeves.

They were still falling.

Beneath him, Dragon Clouds City became clearer and clearer. 

There was nothing he could do.

His mind blank, Thales could only shut his eyes and wait for death.

At this moment, Black Sword suddenly made a move.

*Screech!*

Again, the sharp sound of metal rubbing against stone rang.

Thales felt his body drop, and it seemed like gravity had returned.

He opened his eyes abruptly.

Flames entered his vision.

Shocked, Thales watched as a hand that extended from behind held the strange black sword and scraped it against the wall of the cliff, producing a trail of sparks.

The speed at which they were falling began to reduce.

But right after that, Thales felt a sudden shock!

Abruptly feeling the weight of his body, Thales felt dizzy. It was like his body was being torn apart.

Thales gagged uncontrollably.

Panting, he realized that he could now breathe more smoothly.

'Huh?'

The Prince of Constellation soon realized in astonishment that they had stopped.

Thales could not help but take in a mouthful of cold air.

They had stopped falling, and they were hanging beside the cliff wall.

Having plunged headfirst, Thales now had his feet pointing downwards.

'I'm… alive?'

Thales raised his head in disbelief and saw the situation at hand clearly.

Black Sword was not holding his strange sword anymore. Instead, he was holding on tightly to a thin rope with his right hand.

The other end of the rope was secured to a large nail, which was lodged into the wall of the cliff.

It enabled them to hang stably mid-air.

Black Sword gritted his teeth. His right hand was covered in blood.

*Cling clang!*

Beneath Thales, the sound of metal falling onto ground could be heard.

When he snapped out of his daze, Thales realized that he was drenched in cold sweat.

"This rope… You prepared it beforehand?" the Prince of Constellation asked in disbelief.

Black Sword sneered softly.

"I lured Asda here for the duel, so that I would have a way out." Black Sword loosened his grip, and the both of them slid down at a steady speed.

Even though the rope was thin, it seemed to be extremely tough and tensile. It looked like it was specially made for such activities.

Thales stared at Black Sword's blood-covered hand in amazement. It had been injured from the high-speed friction earlier. However, Black Sword did not seem to be aware of it at all, as though it was not his hand.

*Boom!*

They fell on an uneven piece of rock that protruded from the wall of the cliff.

A little weak in the knees, Thales held on to the cliff wall for support. Trying hard to regulate his breathing, he stared down at Dragon Clouds City. He could see many of the roofs clearly.

However, he was more worried about the situation at hand. Thales started thinking about his relationship with Black Sword. Having escaped from Asda with the help of Black Sword, Thales thought of the choices available to him.

'What will he do to me?

'Does he know who I am?'

Thales' breathing quickened. 'If Asda spoke the truth about Black Sword being the one who assassinated Crown Prince Midier twelve years ago…

'That means Black Sword is...

'Gilbert mentioned in Mindis Hall that Prince Midier was assassinated by someone from the Shadow Shield.

'In Heroic Spirit Palace, Archduke Poffret said that the Shadow Shield have been yearning to take my life, before he died.'

Having thought of this, Thales' heart skipped a beat.

Gritting his teeth, Thales stared vigilantly at Black Sword, who had his back against him. 'There is a huge possibility that this person…'

However, the moment Thales stared at him, Black Sword immediately turned!

It made Thales so scared that his entire body trembled. He clenched his fists.

He felt a chill running down his spine, as though he was the target of a powerful hunter.

Black Sword gazed at Thales profoundly.

His eyes were murderous.

Thales was too scared to even breathe. He could only force a smile.

Furrowing his brows, Black Sword inhaled.

Realizing that the one staring at him with enmity was only a child, the coldness in Black Sword's eyes faded. Expressionless, he turned his head back.

Picking up his sword, Black Sword started to equip himself.

Thales' palms were drenched in sweat.

'Does this man have eyes on his back? How was he able to sense my gaze?'

Lowering his head, Thales clenched his fists tightly.

Facing such a dangerous and scary gang leader after escaping from Asda, Thales felt increasingly uneasy.

'No, I mustn't reveal my identity.

'I also have to think of a way to get away safely, and go back to Heroic Spirit Palace.'

Thales tried his best to breathe evenly.

However, things did not go as planned as a familiar voice could be heard.

"What took you so long?" A figure emerged from behind the stone. His voice was filled with anxiety.

Seeing the newcomer's face vividly under the moonlight, Thales immediately widened his eyes.

'Seriously?

'Why am I so unlucky?'

Upon hearing that voice, Black Sword did not even turn. His tone was flat, "I got into a tiny bit of trouble… Have you secured the rope?"

"I was done five minutes ago. Slide down the rope and it will lead you to Shield District." The newly arrived old man leaned to the side and pulled out a thin rope similar to the one they used earlier.

"Why are you covered in wounds again…" Seeing Black Sword's flustered appearance, the old man furrowed his brows. "I thought you were only getting a few things from Heroic Spirit Palace…"

The old man stopped talking all of a sudden.

He saw Thales, who was standing beside Black Sword.

The old man opened his mouth in shock.

Blinking, Thales flashed him an awkward smile, and waved. "Hello…

"Mister Ramon."

The back-alley doctor from the Brotherhood and suspected scion of magic, Ramon was supposed to be in Heroic Spirit Palace. But, he was now holding on to the wall of a cliff in a daze. He stared at the Prince of Constellation with surprise.

Thales felt his heart sank.

'This is really bad.

'Did Black Sword come here to rescue Ramon?

'Ramon knows my identity all too well.

'And… we are definitely not in good terms.'

"Him?" As expected, Ramon's first reaction was to point at Thales. He turned to Black Sword and said in disbelief, "Why did you bring this child here?"

Thales shrugged and maintained a calm expression.

However, his mind was revolving in chaos.

'What should I do?

'If Black Sword knows that I am a Jadestar…

'If he really was the one… He definitely won't be still!'

Thales dug his fingernails into his palms.

'I can't gamble on his attitude.'

The strange doctor sighed. Holding his head, he said with a sour expression, "He is like a barrel of Eternal Oil, bursting into flames at the slightest touch of cinder!

"How are we going to flee now that you've kidnapped him?"

"You know him?" Black Sword grabbed the triangular metal clip and utilized this time to test the strength of the rope. His expression did not change. "Who is he?"

"He is—"

At this moment...

"Doctor Ramon!" Thales suddenly said in a joyful tone.

Ramon raised his eyebrows. Recalling Thales' "mind-reading ability", his expression immediately turned unpleasant.

However, his expression changed greatly upon hearing Thales' following words.

"I managed to find out about Soul Tower's background," Thales said with a smile. "I was about to tell you. Hey, it turns out that Soul Tower was built during the age of feudal kings after the Battle of Survival. It was built by a wizard called Yiri Crescent…"

Ramon opened his eyes wide in shock.

Before Black Sword could turn his head, Thales made faces at Ramon. With a threatening expression, he pointed at his head and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Ramon froze.

"... Soul Tower is actually a pair of twin towers, and it's located in a place called Foothill Peninsula. There seems to be a very large research department there called the Convention of All Magic. Perhaps we should find time to sit down and have a good chat?"

Ramon widened his eyes and his hands trembled slightly.

Thales shook his head firmly, hoping that the strange doctor would get what he actually meant. "Of course, it's best if we keep it a secret?"

"Soul Tower?"

Black sword narrowed his eyes and turned. "He is in your trade?"

Ramon snapped out of his stupor. He glanced at the nonchalant and brimming Thales, then at the busy Black Sword.

Ramon's expression dimmed, as if was trying to recall something. Staring at Black Sword, he stuttered, "Ah! This child, he-he is… the youngest son of one of the suzerains in Heroic Spirit Palace. He's interested in magic…

"These days, nobles who know about magic and don't reject it are hard to come by." Rubbing his hands, Ramon chuckled and said, "I plan to rely on his resources in the long-term when he grows up…"

Thales immediately relaxed.

Having experienced Black Sword's ability to sense things, Thales did not dare to move at all. Instead, he internalized his sigh of relief.

"Magic? Hmph." Black Sword paid no heed to their argument, and did not ask any further questions. "So, that's the reason why Asda kidnapped him?"

This sentence seemingly froze the already cold air.

"Asda… him?" Ramon's expression totally changed. He looked around. "We're in Eckstedt's Dragon Clouds City… and you met the Air Mystic?"

"We just said hello to each other." Black Sword played it down.

Black Sword fastened the metal roller and pulled the rope a little. His expression was cold as he drew out the little red sword from his waist and tossed it to Ramon. "Speaking of which, this weapon from 'Azure Ambition'...

"I may as well let the monster eat it up… Apart from scaring him, it's completely useless!"

"How is it possible?" Clamoring to avoid the tip of the sword, Ramon held it up. His eyes were filled with bewilderment. "Our lady couldn't have gotten it wrong?

"It's a counterfeit?"

"Perhaps. Now that I think about it, we were too confident." Black Sword furrowed his brows. "After all, we're talking about a powerful legendary anti-mystic equipment, which can be used to seal a Mystic. It isn't a trifling thing that would just be kept in the mezzanine.

"We have no choice but to think of another solution."

"However, the lady mentioned in her letter that this is the only legendary anti-mystic equipment that we'll be able to find." Ramon scratched his head. "The other ones are firmly in the possession of various kingdoms. Do you think that you can break into the army and snatch the Kingdom Wrath's Motionless Bow? Or, are you going to go to Faraway Prayer City and steal Raven of Death's Crossbow of Time?"

Black Sword's expression dimmed. He shook his head. "We'll talk about this another time. Right now, we urgently need to leave."

Thales stared at the little red sword.

No one knew that the moment Black Sword drew the little red sword out, Thales felt a burning sensation in his chest.

The moment Black Sword took it out beside the cliff, he felt that strange and familiar sensation again.

Thales looked at the little red sword in a daze.

'What's going on?

'According to them, this is a… counterfeit of a legendary anti-mystic equipment?'

Black Sword raised his head abruptly!

Staring at the sky above him, his expression became extremely scary.

Lowering his head, Black Sword pulled Ramon as well as Thales over, and he pushed them hard towards the rope, which led downwards. "Go!"

Ramon's face became pale. "What's—"

"Quick, go!"

Black Sword spoke in a hurry, and his tone was filled with worry. "He's found us!"

Thales froze. He knew what Black Sword was talking about.

"Him?" Ramon trembled violently.

"Despite the heavy snowstorm, and our far distance…" Black Sword secured the rope around Ramon's waist. Allowing no explanation, he tied him together with Thales. "I've underestimated the Mystic's abilities!"

Thales furrowed his brows. 'Sh*t, I haven't completely escaped from Asda.'

"I'll hold him off," Black Sword said coldly.

"But…" Wanting to say something, Ramon's face was filled with fear.

Black Sword forced the roller into Ramon's hand, and before the pale-faced Ramon could react, he raised his leg. "Take him with you… and go down first!"

"Wait… we—" Ramon raised his brows and stared at Thales in disbelief. However, before he could finish his sentence...

Black Sword kicked him down the cliff!

"Damn you…

"Black Sword!

"This is despicable!"

Amid Ramon's indignant, frightened screams, Thales once again experienced the sensation of weightlessness as they slid downwards!

Thales took a deep breath. 

Fortunately, it was obviously not Ramon's first time doing this. Even though he was extremely furious and he could not stop cursing, he was able to maneuver the roller with skill and slide down safely with Thales.

After sliding more than ten meters down, the sounds of clashing swords and raging air currents could be heard above them.

"Damn it." As they slid down, Ramon looked upwards with worry. He then lowered his head and fiercely said, "Listen here, child, before you go back to Heroic Spirit Palace, you must tell me about Soul Tower… and then stay as far as possible away from me!

"You are practically a sewage worker, getting into some new sh*t every single day…"

"Hey!" Without Black Sword by their side, Thales felt more at ease. Holding on to the rope, he protested in dissatisfaction. "Is this how you talk to your lifesaver? Also… how did you manage to get out of the palace?"

"Lifesaver?" Ramon's expression changed.

"Spare me. You're just a sly little brat who's full of lies." Recalling something, Ramon said in exasperation, "You even lied to me about your ability to read minds!"

Thales' expression froze. "How did you find out?"

"I'm not an idiot!" The strange doctor's face was filled with contempt. "I guessed it the day you asked me about magic!"

They were getting closer to the city. They seemed to be in a comparably run-down district within Dragon Clouds City. Even though Thales could only see roofs and the streets, he noticed how messy as well as dilapidated the district was.

They finally landed safely behind a small house on the uneven stone ground exclusive to Dragon Clouds City.

Having the ground beneath his feet once again, Thales felt a surge of relief.

Thales detached himself from the rope. His thoughts were a mess. Nonetheless, he nonchalantly said, "You know… Black Sword won't be able to block him… It's best if we flee on our own first."

"Don't worry about Black Sword. That man definitely won't die." Ramon removed the rope from his body and nodded. "However, I agree to what you've just said!"

Having come to a consensus, both of them started to run without looking back!

They ran across the empty streets.

Panting, Thales gritted his teeth. 'If we run into patrol guards… I'll at least be able to send news to Putray and the rest!'

However, before they could go far, a huge explosion sounded behind them.

*Boom!*

There was a sudden flurry of snowflakes behind them.

Thales and Ramon trembled.

They took a look at each other and ran down the street at an increasing speed. They dared not look back.

They ran for three minutes straight, waking up plenty of the residents in the process.

Behind them, the window of one of the houses was opened. Yawning, a man looked out with curiosity.

In a house to their left, a dog was roused from its sleep. It barked furiously and balefully at them.

A woman from a house in front of them swore and shouted at them.

Someone from a double-storey house to their left emptied a basin of water in anger.

To their right, someone threw a beer bottle out of a shop.

Both of them paid no heed to all of it. Panting, they continued running.

Having crossed plenty of alleys in the past, Thales had no problem running through the messy streets. However, as a child, his physical capacity was limited. On the other hand, even though Ramon was an adult, he did not seem like he exercised much. He already started panting after running for a very short distance.

Coupled with the poor visibility of dawn, they slowed down inevitably.

Finally, Thales heard someone urgently barking orders in front of them!

"What's going on with the footsteps in front of us? Come with me!"

"Unit Three and Unit Four, all of you patrol the streets on the left! Assemble every five minutes, and each time, send a messenger to report back!

"Unit Six and Unit Nine, go and investigate the explosion immediately. It should be right below the Cliff of the Sky!

"If any team members, soldiers or residents go missing…

"If you see anyone suspicious, don't let them go… But, make reporting back safely a priority!

"Our higher ups have ordered that the moment you encounter inexplicable things or people, launch a signal arrow immediately! These were their original words."

There seemed to be quite a lot of people!

A rush of hope appeared in Thales' heart. Alternatively, Ramon's face became pale. He seemed a little anxious.

"It's okay," Thales consoled him. "I just need to reveal my identity…"

However, at this moment, two hands suddenly extended from the alley beside them…

And dragged the both of them in!